Evaporative water cooler



Sept. 30, 1952 w. M. SIMPSON EVAPORATIVE WATER COOLER Filed March 26, 1947 Zl/@ZZZL 77% vpacking providing a large surface areaover which yReferring tothe drawing, the ,present 'inven- Patented Sept. 30, 1952 i y 2,612,359y o v EvAPoRATivE WATER cooLEa-r WalterM. Simpson, Evansville, Ind., assignor to y Servel, Inc., New York, N. kY., a corporation of Delaware y Application March 26, 1947; SerialNo.l 737,304

f comme. ,(01.261-5112),4

UNITED STATES PATENT loFFlczE lThe present inventionrelates to improvements l Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of .th'ein-K' inv evaporative water coolers and more particudividual Slat-frames; and i l larly toa liquid distributing packing for use in a Fig.y 4 is a plan view of a group of Slat-frames:

cooling towerf y y l arranged in side by side relationship to provide' In cooling towers the water to be'cooled is de- 6 a packing assembly and showing the slats of each. livered through spray nozzles or other liquid supframe held in spaced relationship by the vertical.

plying means onto the top of a liquid distributing supporting strips., f

the Water flows by gravity 'in a thin lm. Air tion is shown applied to a cooling tower compriscirculating through the packing countercurrent' 10 ing an uprightsheet-metal-housingor casing hav.- to the direction of now of the waterevaporates ing a lower part 5, constituting asump,an intere, a portion of the water and removes the latent mediate. part I for enclosing a liquid distributing heat of vaporization from the 'remaining portion packing constituting the subject matter of the` offwater and thereby reduces its temperature. present inventionl and an upper part, 8v constitutv- Different forms of liquid distributing packing 15 ing a blowerassembly. The sections 6, 'I and, have heretofore been used but in all such ypackingsl are` supported by a frame having corner stan-L the liquid to be cooled tends-to vrunY through the chions 9 withk plates IB extending between ,the packing in localized streams. Y lower ends of the stanchions 9 at theA front-and VOne of the objects of the 'present invention is `back of the frame. The plates I0, see Fig. 2,1 tol provide an improved packing for a cooling 20 have outwardly projecting'flanges II at their tower which produces a more uniform liquid lower `edges to-provide feet fory .supporting the! distribution throughout the packing.' i frame and inwardly projecting flanges lf2 at their- Another' object is to provide acoolingftower upper edges for'supporting a'v rectangular sumpv packing comprising a plurality of individual'slat' tank I3; "i Sump tank I3 projects beyond the' front frames arranged in side'bysidefr'elationship,toZ 25 and back of 'the frame and overlying the ends.` facilitate assembly or removal of the packing for of the tank'are panels I4 attached-to the. corner; cleaning or replacement of parts. v i f, i f stanchionsSsat vthe inside of the'frame.;v The' iiri'other'v object is to provide la cooling vtower ends of the'tank I3 and paneIsIII constitutethe?fv packingof Slat-frames in'which eachslat is pro lower 'part 6 ofthe upright housing lor casingvided with drip-forming projections lat its lower' 30 The intermediate part 1 of the casing comprisesv edge tov deliver `water onto lthe next lowermost a back' panel I5 and end panels (not shown) slat uniformly throughout its length.r which are mounted on the corner stanchions Si.v

' Another object is to provide an ,assemblyv ofA ofthe frame to provide an enclosing housingf wooden vSlatframes so arranged as to permit havingfan'open iront.'V An upper cross vpiece'IIi swellingor expansion of the individual frames l'''extends between thev end panels of theintermedi- Without expansion of the packing. ate :section 'I of the' casing Iat'the-top of thev opelll Still another object is to provide a cooling tower front which is' of angle 'shape in cross 1 section'` forj` domestic use'rto supplyjcooling water to a forming a front flange, a cross webconstituting household appliance such'as an absorption rea seat II and a depending ilange I8 offset rear. frigeration unit. y 'Y f 1 40 wardlyirom the front ange, see Fig. 2. Angle These and other objects will become more apanges I9 are attached tothe inside faces of the parent from the following description and 'draw-v rear and endpanels to provide a seat-20 on three ing in which like reference characters denotelike sides constituting a continuation ofthe seat l'I parts throughout the several views. Ait is to be off the cross piece I6. A lower cross piece 2|` also expressly understood, however, that the f drawing 45 is provided at the bottom of theopen front having isfor the purpose of illustration only'and not a a front flange offset forwardly/from the planeof i denition of the limits of the invention, reference the upper cross piece flange I6. .The lower edge beinghad for this purpose-to the appended claimsy portions of the back panel I5, the end panels andY In the drawing: f the lower edgerof the cross piece 2| are flanged- Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a cooling '00 inwardly to stiffen the structure.` Extending be,- tower` incorporating the improved packing of the tween the'lower'edge portions of the end panels presentinvention; Y are beams 22 for supporting the liquid distribut-i` Fig. 2` is an enlarged sectional View through the ing packing as later described. n 1 cooling tower showing the arrangement of the "A removable service door 24 claimed in mycopacking therein; i A pending application for Letters Patent. Seria1l\lo.

737,302 led concurrently herewith, now'abandoned, cooperates with the end panels and upper and lower cross pieces I6 and ZI to close the open frontV of the intermediate casing part 1. The service door 24 has its lower end set into the for- 5 Wardly offset flange of the lower cross piece 2|, a rearwardly, projectingjlange 25 Vat its upper edge abutting'the; depending flange;A 'IBS' 01":l "the cross;I piece I6 and suitable sealing means at the sides of the door to seal the intermediate casing part 1 0 I to prevent water from leaking out or air fromleaking into the casing. Removabletwingbolts;

`26 are screwed into brackets 2I on the cross .P1806 casing and handles 28 are provid'edon the' doori 15' The upper casing part 8 is af-lroll'ow:blzaxlilrev.` sheetj-metalf casing' having: an flopeni bottom.'- and rest-ing 'on-"the seatsi I -'I land-1I); the F lower edges.

of "its frontandirearward"wallsfbeingr: shaped Lto 301 conform to'- the vseatsrv i The: casingl` parti 8 tisamountedi on the:intermediate casing: partiel? by isf discharged. S'uitablyl mounted'V i'nzth-ef' Vcasingzy p art B-are-inductionvfans3 I fort drawing air finto?l thehcasing through.'v the` air `inletf.o'peningsg2191and14 discharging it through the-fair. outlet openingsiBIl-fA Eachifan 3l Icomprises a1scroll1-casingf32fandsblade; if wheel- 33`-'a 'ndthe wheels ofthef. pluralityfof 'fansA are1mountedonfa commoni shaft: 34'fdrisven :.byraf motor 3'5fan'dfb'elti36 positionedgfforwardlyflofgthef lneofffsecti'ongof zFiglz 2:,and Yiridicatediby` 'dottedlines: Theglm'otorfSScis;mounted;in ai comparte 45- ment 8m/in theca'singapartyeand havingra. small.y seryice-f'door 8b; to: permit; accesseptoii the om'otor.. Detachable:housingszcfat;tl1eends. of :the casinggY part i8encloseztheabearingscfor fthe wheel-fshaft134i anditheibeltf.. p Water tofloe cooledrisgdeliveredito thextopiofthe intermediate part-'z 'Ii offjthe fcasingdoy; a-pipe,f3:l Y havnglbranches With-,spraynozzles-S 'at 1their ends.; l'lheayvater,delivered from theasprayfnozzlesf 39ilowsfbyzgravitythrougli-therintermediate:part: 'Iliofthecasingandiinto thesumpgtank' I3; Thusfv, therwaiter:iloyvs'fvcountercurrent; tolthef. directioni ofaflliwtofzair fthroughfthe 4 casing andzagseriesvfofr waten separating-baiiiei -platesfAIL are-` provided in-V th'erfguppei: part i 8 :between y:tliecsprayifnozzles.v 39 andV fansy3-l tov reducer the :f-amount of spray-,ldis-i charged-fwitlr the air. Mountedimthefsump; tank I Seand: forming, an integral part thereof` isv a,suctionp ipel 4I having` arn'inletfrltergscreen 42.V The` suction.v pipe-=4l extends:v throughthegendxof the sump: tank- I3 andcvis. connected, to yr almotor: driven: pump 43 mountedon afplatform 44-adapted toibefattachedz torlth'e'f corner stanichionsofhA vadjacent;the?. sump: tankaat-either'endoiztheframe: An outlt'pipef 45f1iom:the fpump 43'ideliversicooledzwater from: th'ef-surrip"tank` I3`to the place-where.itfis:to bei used. An overflow pipefliiisialso provideddmthe sumpjt'ank I 3*' whichAT ext'eI-idsk#verticallyI apprecieterminedldistancerabove its bottom:` 'Makeeupi water is supplied to the sump tank I3 by a water valve 41 suitably supported above the sump tank and controlled by a float 48 in the tank.

A combined air inlet screen and splash baille assembly as claimed in my application for Letters Patent Serial No. 737,303 led concurrently herewith, now Patent 2,562,827 dated July 3l, 1951, issmounted'viie'ach of tl'ie airinlt-,iopenings .29. Suifl'c'e it tostaterhereincthat each combined air inlet screen and splash baille assembly is in the nature of a drawer to adapt it to be quickly Vinsertedaor;y withdrawn from the casing. Each assembly comprises an air screen 49 enclosed in *amarginali frame-50and a plurality of spaced angularlyfarranged-beide plates 5| extending between wings`A 52-'at"' opposite ends of the frame. Abailef53fvextending between the panels I4 cooperates With the innermost splash baille plates Elftoiccverv the entire cross-sectional area of the casing. The arrangement of the oat 4B is such asitozmaintain aliquidzlevelimthe sumpiftanlril 3 aboyef thezbottomz; of.: the; splash; baiiie .:vplatesa'il-i to eliminate the noise of I' water: dripping;directly; from the packing into a pool of waterr-inthe-,tanln In; accordance 4 with; the present ,inventionf-an improvedipacking is provided in ,the-intermediate. part, l 1 f ofi` the. :casingf1 foruniformly a' distributing@` the?liquidrinfathinflmover,adargefsurfaoefarea as'it flows therethrough:1 Thefpack-ing, issmadeL up-of afpluralityy ofi Slat-frames',` 6Il:arranged.inaA side- -by; side-relationship -and supportedionL theaA crossebeamsy2 Zeta-completely-,ll the intermediatepart-Lof;the-casinglz The Slat-frames 6I) areT inserted,finto;- or rremovedY from the intermediate; casingfi part,4 1 through r its open front when@they service -dooroV 2.4: @is :removed :which facilitates .etherv initialtassembly;v of-- the, packingfand :the cleaning; servicing or repairing ofepartse.

Eachfindivid-uallslatnframelicomprisesaeplurality, of Wooden-slats: 6I V- arranged,` horizontally@ in;1 spaced relationship one; one` .sideJ ofel verticali4 supporting strips -Ii2r and A63.I The-:slats: Girare; connected to the supporting strips 62, andz1-63x by means ofnailslf or screwsf. 64v to.p,rovide\A aacomf parativelyrigid slatl-frameSunit. Thus,vthe1plurality,off slats B I of eachrame .(ILarez positionedf;y one above the othenso'..that.liduidwill\ flow-bm gravitydoWnthe sidesof each slatla-ndwontof-the nextLlowe'rmost slat. t The. lower Aedge :of'eachslat, 6I 1 is-serrated.1orr. notchedA ,to providev` a..-,series. of; adjacent.. dripriorming` projections 65)'. fori. unie formly distributing theliquidasit flowsfrom the'l slat, Liquid'fiowinggdownthe sidesfofltlislats 6l runs onto, one.,or-` th`e .otlier.` ofi thetinclined,LA sides of the. dripfforming ,proiections ,and con:-` tinues to flow to the/,lower end.of.'theprojections@ After `a,sufficient.amount' Ofithe.- liquidgaccumuflatesatlthe endfof. a projection; it;fwill;,;drip

from .th`e slat 6 I .onto the topy oflthenextulowerff most slatl At the places where theslats-SI-,arerv joinedtoltheyertical. supportingv strips- 62 .aI-141163 thenotches 66 fare,made.deeperttdcounteract.[the tendency. of the?liquidtorun down the. supporting; strips. With sucha construction OfdIiprrming-f projections .35:and notches flati .thezlowerl` edgesn of the slatsll fthe ,-liquid 'willz be .uniformly disf-V tributi-:sdfA throughout .the fleng-th' of the-` slatsifland'I prevent :theiiow of 'liquid in localized streamsv For the purpose of uniformity inmanufaoturef.. eaclifslat framefl r isprovidedf :Withfrtwo setsr=of deepvgrooves :646 Land-EGP so :that-z the:.supporting;; strips may be staggered in alternatefflframessas? next explained; 1

4 To provideafonrswelling oiftl1e:individualofslate- 'frames 5i) without expansion of :tliiezxassembled nearer the center line C-C than the strip 63v While the supporting strip 63 of the next adjacent ASlat-frame B0' is nearer the center line than the strip 62. Thus, the alternate Slat-frames 60 have vertical supporting strips 62 and 63 arrangedvin alignment and offset at one side of a center line through the packing while the alternate slatframes 60' have the supporting strips 62 and 63 arranged in alignment and offset at the other side of the center line. As the wooden slats 6| and supporting strips 62 and 63 are wetted they may swell, but due to the oiset staggered relationship of the supporting strips the slats 6l of the individual Slat-frames 60 may warp or bend slightly between the strips to take up'the expansion` without transmitting any force against the end panels ofthe intermediate housing section 1. v By providing each slat 6I' with a pluralityfof sets of deep notches 66 and 66', the same slats Bl may be used to fabricate the alternate sets of Slat-frames 60 and 6l'. Preferably the slatframes 60 are arranged in reverse order, from the center of the intermediate casing part 1 so that the supporting strips 62 and 63 will engage the end'panels at opposite ends of the packing assembly. With such van arrangement `the two slatframes 60 at the center of the casing will have the slats 6i in face to face relationship. One form of the invention having now been described in detail, the mode of operation ofthe cooling tower and the assembly of the packing is explained as follows.

When the cooling tower is initially assembled the Slat-frames 60 are inserted into the intermediate part 1 of the casing through its open yfront and mounted in side by side relationship therein on the supporting beams 22. When as-f sembling the packing the Slat-framesy 60' are arranged alternately with Slat-frames 60 so that the supporting strips 62' and 63 will be oiset laterally from the supporting strips 62 and 63 Yof adjacent frames as illustrated in Fig. 4.' The slatframes 60 and 60 are of a width corresponding to the depth of the intermediate part 1 of the streams.

casing and the assembly of individual Slat-frames extends from one end to the other to completely ll the casing part. After the intermediate casing part 1 has been filled with Slat-frames 60 and 6G the service door 24 is mounted in place on the casing to close the open front. The enclosed packing then forms a series of vertical rows of spaced horizontal slats 6I with the rows of slats held in spaced relationship by the staggered sup-l porting strips 62, 62' and B3, 63'.

Water to be cooled is delivered to the cooling tower through the pipe 31, branches 38 and spray nozzles 39 in the form of a spray uniformly distributed over the top of the packing. Simultaneously, air is drawn into the cooling tower through the air inlet openings 29 by the induction fans 3|, iiows upwardly through the slat frames 60 land au' of the packing and is discharged through the outlet openings 30. The water sprayed from the nozzles 39 descends onto the top slats 6I of the Slat-frames E0 and 60' of the packing and iiows by gravity down the sides of the slats in a thin lm to the drip-forming projections 65 at their lower edges. The water drips from the projections 65 onto the top of the next lowermost accessv to the spray nozzles 4-.

' slats 6i and continues to flow by gravity over eachsuccessive slat of the Slat-frames 60 and 6U fromv the top tothe bottom of the packing. Duer to the drip-formingprojections 65 and inverted'vshaped notches 66 of slats 6I the water is uniformly' distributed `throughout the packing and does not run through the'packing in localized Waterfrom the lowermost slats 6i of the-plurality of Slat-.frames 60 and 60 drips onto the splashbaiiles 5| and 53 and runs into the pool of water in the sump tank I3 without noise. As the slats 6| and supporting strips 62, 62' and 63,

63' become wet they tend to swell but due to` the staggered relationship of the strips the slats may bend so that no appreciable force is transmitted to the ends of the casing.

As the water ows in thin films over the slats 6| of the Slat-frames 60 or 60a portion of the water is evaporated into the stream lof air owing through the packing. The heat of vaporizationl is abstracted from the unevaporated water which reduces its temperature to a value approaching thewet bulb temperature of the air entering the cooling tower. The cooled water in the sump tank I3 is drawn into the suction pipe 4l by they circulating pump 43 and delivered through the outlet pipe 45 to the appliance to be cooled, such as the condenserand absorber of an absorption refrigeration system, and then back to the distributing pipef31. f n i When it is desired to clean, service or replace the-slat-frames S0 and 60' of the packing, or clean or paint or service the interior of the cooling tower or nozzle 39, the service door 24 is removed from the front of the casing. As the service door 24 covers substantially the entire frontof Athe intermediate casing part 1, its removal permits access to all .parts of the interior of the casing.

Asthe door has agreater dimension than thev length of the vSlat-frames 60 and SHV-the latter may beremoved through the door opening for repair or cleaning. Sulcient space is also available above the Slat-frames 60 and 60 to provide Also with the servicedoor 24 removed it is possible toinspect the packing and spray nozzles when the tower is in operation, To replace the door 24 it is only necessary toinsert its lower end into the forwardly offset flange of the lower cross piece 2l,`

rock the door forwardly and insert the wing bolts 26. r u

ISimilarly, the air screen'and splash baille assemblies may be withdrawn from they air inlet openings 29 for cleaning or repair and the sump tankV lfmay be removed by merely disconnecting the-suction pipe 46 from the pump 43.

' Itfwill` now be observed that the present invention `provides-an improved packing for a cooling tower which provides a large surface area for evaporation of liquid and insures uniform dis.- tribution of the liquid over the entire. surface area. It will also be observed that the present invention provides a packingassembly of indi Slat-frames so as to permit swelling or expansion.

of the individual frames without longitudinal expansion of the packing assembly.

'.While a single embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of elements without liquidi' Supplying" means, air. inleti and outlet.: 1 0

openings 2in the. ca'sing;` and fa; ipacking assembly in the casing: between thesliquidsupplying .means and sump 4comprising-a series-of :individual ,slatframeA units-each of' saidf. units?. comprising sa supporting strips, said slatifram'el1 unitsf. resting sideebyside on said` support with thefsupporting strips offeacl'i Slat-frame unitcontacting the slats ofi'the=-next adjacent unitrthroughoutthe spaceif between said endwallsfto mutually supporteach otherfin upright position; said supportingstrips holdingy'tlieeslats-of adjacent' frames in spacedl relationship and the supporting" strips of each fra-me being offset with respect tol supporting stri'psfof adjacent'frames -whereby to permit lflexy ingof f theslatsV between supporting.. strips and' therebyepreventingbulgingon-the end walls of thev cas-ing `upon swelling' ofl the individual slatf frames: y

2..A cooling tower comprising an-'upri'ght case' ingchaving spaced endwallsand a support Vextending' therebetween,` means f in' the l casing "for syu'pplyirxgl liquid to becooled, aj sump below the liquid-supplying means, air inletand 'outlet `ropenf ingsl *in* the'casing,` andi a4v packing assemblyv in theY casing'between the liquid supply'means 'and sumpe'comprising a seriesof Aindividual Woodenslateframev'units; each of` saidMslat-frame units comprisingiaV plurality 'of horizontal slats :mount-l edffin-spaeed relationship' on* vertical'supporting strips, said,` slati-frame units vrestingin abutting' sicgle'-l b'yeside'f-relationshipV throughout* th'e space bet-Ween the `end walls so as -to mutuall'yfsupport each otherinlanuprightpositiong and the vsupporting strips of' adj acent Slat-frame units being staggeredfto permit swelling yof fthe frameswith-Y out-'expan'sion of'thepacking inl the casing; u

Afcooling tower. comprisingfan upright cas;-V inggl'iavingfspaced'end walls and a supportlextending." therebetween; means,y inv the casing for. supplying liquid to be cooled, a sump belv'vltl'ie liquid-'supplying means; air inlet and outletf openings'in'.. the' casing; and a packing assembly! in tliefcasing betweenrthe liquid"supply means-and' sunip-compriisingl two sets: of :individual .wooden Slat-frame units; .eaclr `vof said i. Slat-frame4A units having- A aiv plurality' of f horizontal slats` l'mounted in; spaced relationship on vertical supporting stripswthe .f vertical ysupporting )stripsA of one vsetr ofafslatsframe units' being positioned" atA a' dif.- ferentxdistance from' the ends of theslats thanl thee-supportingstrips ofthe vother-set of frames, andrthe: Slat-frame units of zsaidv setsbeing .ar-'- rangedralternately in said packing; and resting'inl sideafby-fside abutting relation on.- said support throughout'the'width of the casing between the` end=-wal1s.-tomutually-support each other in an uprightfposition whereby to permit swellingY of the-,frames withoutcxpansion ofthe packing-in th`e^casing... v y 7 0 4. A cooling tower.. comprising .an-upright cas-- ing,l yIneens., in .the upper. part.4 of the.. casing; for

8i supplyinggliquid to* be2-cooled, azsump; attheflower.`

part'otfthe casinggfor.receiving-fcooledliquid; ai-rr inlet. and-outlet openings,- in thecasing;v and-a, packing V,assembly in the: casing rbetween. the .-liq.-` uid? supplying; means and sump comprising. a.se.-

ries'..-of'individual.slateframe units arrangedzin,

abutting side by side.. relationship to.. mutually.P support eachother in an upright. position;y each. ofsaid- Slat-frames having.v a, pluralitylr of slats.

mounted in spacedrelationship on;supporting strips,v said supporti-ng'strips holdingthe slatsoi adjacent -frames spaced from eachother and each..

ofi said slats yhavingnotches to yprovide .drip form;-A ing; projections for.l uniformlydistributing` the.- liquid as'it flows therefromontofthe next-lowermostislat. and. larger notches overlying thesup.- por-ting. strips-td direct liquid; away from. the strips. v n y 5.@ AnindiVidualsIat-rame unit .for a .cooling tower comprisingslats permanently, mounted in., parallel spaced ,relationship on oneside'of sup.-

' porting-strips. the. supporting strips..being lo-A cated; at...unequal-distances fromithe center of. theslats,. saidlslatsl having lower. edges, with notches therein: toY provide a. pluralityv of..drip.

forming projections: and` said. slatsy having en: larged ,notches .overlying thesupporting. stripsr theslopingedges. ofthe. slats formed by the en..- larged notches leading,I away from the strips.

, 6-. A.cooling;1t'o`werf comprisinga generally rec,- tangular, casingv lhaving ,parallel .end '.wallsfand ai support'. extending th'erebetx'veen,l means initle. casingfor supplyingiliquidlto be cooled, a sump below the liquid;A supplyingA means, air .inlet andi end'walls to mutuallysupport each other in vertical arrangement,,eachslat-frame having a plurality, of. slats. arranged in spaced' relation and. permanently attached to supporting strips, said'I supporting` strips Y. holding. the.. slats of adjacent frames inspac'ed relationand the strips in ade jacent frames being `offset with'` respect to each other to..permit-..iexing of'the slats tocompensate. for lswelling of individual frames; andthe.' bottom edge ofil each slati' being .notched .to pro"- vide a". plurality, "of adjacent dripA forming' pro'- J'ectonsi i WALTER M. SIMPSONQ 'REFEENCES CITED l The. lfollow-ingA references .are of .f record.:in..the-. le .of.thisjpaitent: v

` l U'NITEDsTATEs PA'I'Errrs'A Number y g Name y Date4` 1,785,572, Anderson ket al. Dec. 16,V 1930 2,342,952 Mart- 1 Feb'.l 29; 1944 2,347,757 Thomas' v May' 2, v.194i 2,356,653. COX Aug. 22, '1944 FOREIGN l PATENTS' Number j Country Date?.- w 2,452. Great Britainren 4, 1895.- 25,449 Great Britain Nov. v12, v19.06: 9,395v lGreat Britain A-pr. 23,190.7 18,397 GreatBritain. .June 9, 191.0.

117,843 `GrreatBritain July 31, 1918ii 

